Student-Led Ski and Snowboard Club at Red Mountain Sedona

Red Mountain Sedona (RMS), a mindfulness-driven transitional living program for young adults, is welcoming the winter season with the return of its highly anticipated Ski Club. This winter sport blends recreation with therapeutic intention: giving students opportunities to build resilience, practice mindfulness, and strengthen community connections on and off the mountain. Ski Club remains one of the most anticipated activities at Red Mountain Sedona. With Arizona Snowbowl located just outside of Flagstaff, one hour north of Sedona, students have easy access to a world-class winter sports environment. Weekly group trips create space for shared experience, while season passes and proximity allow students to return independently as their confidence grows. All skill levels are welcome and supported. Recreation as a Therapeutic Tool Recreational programming at Red Mountain Sedona is intentionally designed to integrate mindfulness, community, and physical activity. Our location in Sedona offers a myriad of options for healthy risk-taking through adventure. Whether it’s finding flow on a mountain bike, swimming in beautiful Oak Creek Canyon, or building confidence with skiing or snowboarding, students are given the opportunity to practice mindfulness in motion. Clinically, these experiences support stronger outcomes for young adults in treatment. Research shows that adventure and movement-based programming can significantly enhance emotional, cognitive, and social development. Activities like skiing and snowboarding promote:

• Emotional regulation and distress tolerance, practiced in real time
• Identity formation and self-efficacy, built through mastery of new skills
• Mind-body integration, reinforcing mindfulness and somatic work, both central to Red Mountain’s clinical approach
• Social connection and prosocial behavior, supported by shared outdoor experiences
• Executive functioning, including planning, decision-making, and adapting to changing conditions
• Improved physical and mental well-being, contributing to mood stability, better sleep, and reduced anxiety

These skills generalize beyond recreation, supporting stronger treatment engagement, healthier coping strategies, and greater readiness for independent adulthood. Mindfulness in Motion: Applying Skills Beyond the Therapy Room Mindfulness looks different here. In winter, it can manifest as steady focus, somatic engagement, and confidence shaped on the slopes. Ski Club exemplifies Red Mountain’s broader philosophy: healing deepens when mindfulness and everyday life intersect. Students learn to stay present, breathe through challenge, and notice emotional cues — skills that mirror the therapeutic work they do in individual sessions, meditation, and group therapy. “Recreation is such an effective bridge between insight and action,” said Executive Director Ryan McGinty, MS, LAC. “On the mountain, students have a safe space to apply the tools they’re learning and to experience firsthand that embodiment and mindfulness can be practiced across many arenas.”   About Red Mountain Sedona: Red Mountain Sedona is an all-gender independent living program licensed as an outpatient facility in Sedona, AZ, designed for young adults who haven’t met their life goals. Our areas of focus include anxiety, depression, trauma, substance/process addictions, and neurodivergence. Through a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates evidence-based therapies, mindfulness practices, life skills development, vocational/educational support, and executive functioning coaching, we guide our students toward fulfilling, productive, independent lives. For more information, contact admissions at (855) 998-5272 or by emailing info@redmountainsedona.com.